kyra sedgwick

Everyone knows that children can be exceptionally cruel. But the girls in Kyra Sedgwick's third grade class must have been meaner than most. We say that because she doesn't seem like the typically homicidal type now, but she apparently was back then. She told the sordid tale on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' (Weeknights, 12AM ET on ABC).

By sordid, we mean oddly adorable. Whatever happened back then so seared itself into Sedgwick's memory that she remembers the girls' names even, but it was the way in which she planned to kill them that was ... cute?

Kyra Sedgwick always wins when playing "The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" because she's married to him. But she inadvertently found out something else about him when she participated in a show with Henry Louis Gates Jr. that traced her lineage back 200 years, as she revealed on 'Late Show' (Weeknights, 11:35PM ET on CBS).

It was all fun and games when she found out she was distant cousins with the likes of Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon and even Marilyn Monroe. "I can see the resemblance," Sedgwick smiled.

But she also found out she was a 10th cousin once removed of one Kevin Bacon. So she's married and related by blood, albeit just marginally, to Kevin Bacon. Now no one will ever be able to beat her at that game!

Kyra Sedgwick plays the often frazzled Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, the title role on 'The Closer.' Monday night marks the premiere of show's final season, and Sedgwick said on 'Live With Regis and Kelly' (weekdays, syndicated), that things will get worse for her character before they get better.

Regis Philbin set up a clip by saying Johnson was "really getting frustrated about the way things are going at the department, but that's always been, more or less, her little angst, right?"

Kyra Sedgwick is back for the seventh and final season of 'The Closer' (premieres Mon., July 11, 9PM ET on TNT), which means we only have 21 more episodes of Brenda Leigh Johnson's fabulous fashions.

You'd think -- based on what TV has taught us -- that the lead detective of L.A.'s Major Crimes Division would not be gorgeous, put-together or a woman for that matter. But 'The Closer' has defied all expectations, and has single-handedly put TNT on the map for quality female-led dramas.

As we prepare ourselves to say goodbye (and hope that 'Major Crimes,' the spinoff starring Mary McDonnell, is a hit), we thought we'd take a look at all the summer TV ladies who are looking good while helping us beat the heat.

Last week we reported that TNT execs were working feverishly to extend the life of their flagship drama, 'The Closer.' Now, we hear that they may have succeeded.

According to Entertainment Weekly, star Kyra Sedgwick has signed on for an extra six episodes of the final season, which will be used to lay the groundwork for a spin-off series. TNT expects to air the season in blocks: Ten episodes this summer, followed by five in the winter, and the extra six in the summer of 2012.

The final six will reportedly be the swan song for Sedgwick's character Brenda Leigh Johnson, while probably introducing a new central character who will headline the spin-off, which has been tentatively titled 'Major Crimes.'

Back in December the obits for 'The Closer' were being written after star Kyra Sedgwick announced the end of the series. Now, however, comes news that the farewells may have been premature, and that the drama could be carrying on without her.

'The Closer' is the most-watched basic cable series ever, and according to deadline.com, execs at TNT are unwilling to let their flagship drama go.

One of the scenarios currently being discussed at the cable network is extending the 15-episode (Final) Season 7 to 21 episodes.

However, adding an extra six episodes is contingent on a deal with Sedgwick. Given she's reportedly the one who decided to end the series in the first place, it could be an uphill battle to persuade her to carry on.

It's a Christmas miracle on 'The Closer'! Or no, wait. Actually, it's the exact opposite of that. On the new episode (Mon., 9PM ET on TNT), Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson's parents are still in town. Yes, Clay and Willie Rae Johnson (Frances Sternhagen and Barry Corbin) are still visiting their daughter in Los Angeles.

But then, a sudden robbery of the Johnson's RV means a loss of all their Christmas gifts -- and their beloved microwave. It's a Christmas anti-miracle!

Clay and Willie are shocked by the crime rate in the big city -- now, they're threatening to cut short their endless trip, so that they can return to the safety of their home in Atlanta. Will Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) be able to keep them around? Or will it turn out that the whole theft was an inside job all along?

'The Closer' (Mon., 9PM ET on TNT) isn't really up in the air these days. We now know that the show will come to a definitive end at the conclusion of next season's run. Still, on the latest episode, Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) finds herself up in the air -- in a very literal sense.

The episode is titled "High Crimes" -- and the LAPD must investigate a series of robberies which then lead to murder. The robberies in question take place at a bunch of medical marijuana shops. (So ... high crimes. ... Get it?)

But while trying to apprehend a suspect, Deputy Chief Johnson gets stuck in an attic -- and then the criminal smashes the ladder that she used to get up there. "Oh, for heaven's sakes!" Brenda says in her inimitable Southern accent, as both the ladder and the suspect crash to the floor.

Fans of 'The Closer,' prepare to say goodbye. TNT announced today that the hit show will end next year after its seventh season.

According to TNT, the bittersweet decision to end the series in 2011 after six successful years was made by Emmy-winning star Kyra Sedgwick herself.

"I cannot fathom how difficult it will be to say goodbye to the incredible family we've created on 'The Closer,'" Sedgwick said in a statement. "I will always be grateful to James Duff for his love and friendship, as well as for creating such a rich and complex character who I have loved living with year after year. Mike, Greer, Rick and all of our outstanding cast and crew are forever in my heart."

Before you can start to recover, you'll have to survive your darkest hour. This is the first lesson of recovery, and this is the lesson on 'The Closer' (Mon., 9PM ET on TNT). As the series resumes its sixth season, a random and terrifying attack takes place. At the beginning of the show, a middle-aged man attends an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, where he studies the twelve-step method of surviving addiction. The man has been sober for over a decade -- now, he only sips on cranberry juice and soda.

While he's at the meeting, a younger man approaches him -- the boy is troubled, suffering from addiction, in search of help. The two men talk, then they part, and the older man walks back to his car. Which is when ...

... Which is when he is attacked by a stranger with a knife. It all happens so fast.

Fresh off the revelation that Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson will not be the next Los Angeles Chief of Police, TNT's 'The Closer' returns on Monday, Dec. 6, with five new episodes for the winter season.

How will Brenda respond to losing the top job? Will it be business as usual, or will there be lingering questions about her status as season 5 concludes?

TV Squad went directly to the source, interviewing Kyra Sedgwick, the Emmy-winning star of 'The Closer' who shared her thoughts about the show, her character and the thrill of winning that golden trophy just a few months back.

If I had actually put down bets on my Emmy predictions, I would have lost my shirt, and maybe even my pants. And I still would have been pretty happy about it.

Why? Because when I made those predictions, I did them with the jaundiced eye of a guy who's seen the Academy go with the safe and sane too many times. For instance, in any world that made sense, Jon Cryer wouldn't have been my supporting comedy actor pick over Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Colfer and the 'Modern Family' trio. But the Academy loves repeat winners, so I was resigned to the fact that Cryer was going to win again.

So I was pleasantly surprised when Eric Stonestreet's name was called at the Emmy Awards last night. And I continued to be surprised as the the names of newcomers and first-timers were called for many of the major categories. Yes, new names abounded at the Emmys, and hopefully, it's a harbinger of what we might see in the years to come.

Who will win: The temptation here is to say that one of the previous winners, such as Hargitay or Close, will take the award because of the Academy's lack of creativity with their picks. But Margulies is a known quantity -- she's been nominated six times for 'ER,' both in the lead and supporting categories, winning after the show's first season -- and 'The Good Wife' was widely-watched enough to make me think that she may get the award this year. She carried the first year hit on her shoulders and did a great job playing the wounded but resilient Alicia Florrick.